Earlier previews of May 12's Stampede Wrestling event in Cochrane stated that fans could see local wrestler Devon Nicholson fight a giant. That's still true.

However, the giant Nicholson, aka Kid Nichols, will be fighting has changed ... and gotten much, much more legendary and much, much older.

Instead of facing ex-World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star Matt Morgan, Nicholson will be taking on Abdullah the Butcher in this Friday's main event.

With sources placing Abdullah at 70 years old, the wrestling veteran has been torturing opponents in the ring since 1958.

But Nicholson, 23, says he has no problems doing his best to lay a beating on a senior citizen.

"This guy's a monster," he says. "He's not your average senior citizen. He's caused a lot of damage. He's the most brutal wrestler of all time. Anyone in the wrestling business can tell you that."

While Abdullah may not have the quickness of a young, athletic wrestler like Nicholson, the one known as the Madman from the Sudan employs a somewhat unconventional repertoire to compensate for his senior citizeness--forks, nails and even razor blades.

"I'm going to whoop him in front of all his people," predicts Abdullah, who was born in Windsor, Ont. and spent years with Stampede Wrestling alongside the Hart family. "It's my territory. It's not that little punk kid's territory."

Despite Abdullah's tough talk, however, Nicholson says wrestling the 400-pound crazy man this weekend will be the highlight of his career.

"I've always wanted to wrestle this guy ever since I was a kid," Nicholson says. "Most people think I'm crazy."

He even went so far as to use the world "love" when reflecting upon his childhood hero.

"I'm sure he's not going to show any mercy to me," Nicholson says. "I didn't tell him I was a fan of his."

In fact, Abdullah guaranteed that there will be no preferential treatment given to one of his biggest fans.

"He's in a fantasy world," Abdullah says, reluctant to slip out of character, even threatening to beat up a mild-mannered Cochrane Times reporter. "His kick is to beat Abdullah the Butcher, so he can have his little fantasy ... but I'm going to beat him up like I own him."

Nicholson admits that he just hopes his duel with Abdullah this weekend won't be followed by a trip to the hospital.

"He's just an extremely intimidating, frightening looking guy," he says. "There's no real strategy you can use because the guy is so unpredictable. You don't know what's going on in his head. He's a pretty crazy individual.

"It doesn't matter how old he is. He has weapons," he adds. "It's just going to be a matter of watching out for all of his dirty tricks."

In all his excitement, however, Nicholson warns that the family-orientated nature of the evening could dwindle significantly when it comes time for the potentially bloody main event.

"If you don't like violence, that's not a good match to watch," he says, explaining that families with young children may want to leave prior to the potential bloodbath. "My match will obviously be very violent."

"It's definitely going to be the last big Stampede event ever," Nicholson says, hinting that an old Stampede star or two may also be in attendance. "Abdullah was one of the staple figures from Stampede and the glory days, so it just means a lot to have him in the main event."

Tickets are available at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.